Yesterday, I received the first dose of the Pfizer Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at a CVS store in Merritt Island, FL. This is three months after Megan received her vaccination as a nurse. It was a minor miracle; Megan had used a website to see if there were any vaccines available in the area and entered in my demographic information. The next day, I spent 10 minutes in line and another 15 minutes in the store to confirm that I wasn’t suffering from any side effects. All was good. Another surprise was that it was easy to shift my second dose from a CVS in Florida where I was on vacation to a CVS in Maryland where I live. I don’t think I could have had a better experience. I feel incredibly happy, tired, and lucky today. The end of the pandemic seems one step closer.

I suspect that most people will suffer through a lot more red tape than I will on their journey to the vaccine. Vaccine hesitancy is a huge threat to herd immunity especially in the South, but it does mean that some vaccines are available because people either don’t want them or because they are shopping around for a specific vaccine. Strangely, this hesitancy comes from people who want things to return to normal but don’t realize that the vaccine is a major step towards this goal.

I’m ready for things to go back to normal. Being on vacation has been nice because I am fortunate enough to forget about work for a few days and focus on my family. When I return, it’s back to the non-stop zoom calls, irregular hours of working, and keeping the kids occupied, safe, and healthy. In a few years, I’m sure that there is a lot that I will look back on with fondness about this time period. Right now, the past year feels like a setback on so many fronts.